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From June’s International Pride Month to Vancouver Pride Week, there are plenty of opportunities for everyone to get together and celebrate the LGBTQ2S+ community in B.C.
You can of course also support LGBTQ2S+ owned businesses and allies by giving them your business. Here are some BC Marketplace businesses that take pride in catering to and advocating for LGBTQ2S+ customers in particular.
Wild Root Journeys offers guided day and multi-day sea kayaking trips along the beautiful B.C. coast. As well as family and COVID-19 “bubble” groups, the company prides itself in running several LGBTQ2S+ specific trips led by diverse guides. Operating out of Powell River, all of their guides are certified through the Sea Kayak Guide Alliance of BC.
The QmooniTi team is made up of diverse travel experts who specialize in curating travel with a focus on culture, environment, and people-first through a decolonized lens. This includes advocating for and bridging gaps in the industry for more secure and comfortable travel offerings for LGBTQ2S+ travellers, BIPOC (Black/Indigenous People of Colour) travellers, people with disabilities who travel, and new or solo female travellers.
Essie’s Place is all about building safe spaces and improving the socio-economic conditions and quality of life for the LGBTIQ2+ community in the Shuswap. Formed by dedicated professionals with a lifetime of LGBTIQ2+ lived experience, the Essie’s Place team has the knowledge, skills, background, and experience to make a real difference in their community.
Martial arts should be for everyone. So believes the dramatically-named, women-owned Valkyrie Western Martial Arts Assembly. This group of “fighters, lifelong learners, and martial arts researchers” believe that martial arts is not only a fundamental human skill, but also one of the best ways to improve physical and mental health. Their swordplay, boxing, wrestling, and self defence classes are open to all abilities, ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, and sexual orientations.
The travel gurus at Guide Me Away want you to forget about planning travel, and focus on experiencing it. They will design, plan, and book your entire vacation. All you have to do is pack your bags. The travel agency’s founder is a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community, and they specialize in planning safe, inclusive vacations and once-in-a-lifetime adventures for LGBTQ2S+ travellers.
The CBA is a small group of business owners with a mission to promote business and services in Cumberland. The association provides support and knowledge for members, acts as a resource and village advocate, and contributes to community initiatives. One of their own initiatives is the YOU ARE WELCOME HERE project. The CBA is asking their members and other local business owners in Cumberland to display a “YOU ARE WELCOME HERE” sticker to support people of colour, transgender people, and LGBTQ2S+ people in the community.
Find more local businesses to support in the BC Marketplace this Pride Week.
Now, more than ever, is the time to show our support for local businesses. Find out about the direct economic impacts they make.
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We respectfully acknowledge our place of work is within the ancestral, traditional and unceded territories of the Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and that we serve the Peoples of the many Nations throughout British Columbia.